Folding door, partition, and wall



H. WOOLARD AND J. H. F. LODGE.

c. A. LODGE BEING ADMINISTRATRIX 0F J. H. F, LODGE, DECD.

FOLDING DOOR, PARTITION, AND WALL. APPLICATION FILED ocr. 21, 1918.

1A1 OEQOD at nt d May 16, 1922.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

lnvenlons H. WOOLARD AND J. H. F. LODGE. c. A. LODGE BEING ADMINISTRATRIX OF). H. F. LODGE. own.

FOLDING DOOR, PARTITION, AND WALL APPLlCATlON FILED OCT. 21, 191B.

l ilvfifiwo Patented May16,1922.,.

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A Horn e1 A 49 Patented. May 1921 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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HERBERT WOOLARD, 0F STEVENAGE, AND JOHN HENRY FREDERIGK LGDGE, 0E EARNED, ENGLAND; CLARAANNIE' LODGE BEING ADMINISTRATRIX 0F SAID JOEIN HY FREDERICK LODGE, DECEASED.

naraaao.

Specification of Lettersfatent.

Patented May 16, 1922.

Application filed October 21,1918. Serial No. 259,131.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ,HERBERT WOOLARD, of Ashcot, Walkern Road, Stevenage, in the county of Hertford, a subject of the King of Great-Britain and Ireland, and JoHN HENRY FREDERICK LODGE, a subject of the Kin of Great Britain and Ireland, of Reno, otters Road, New Barnet, in the county of Hertford, England, have invented new and useful Improvements in and Relating to Folding Doors, Partitions, and Walls, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to improvements in folding doors, screens or partitions designed for outside use and particularly for high doors such as are employed for aircraft sheds, motor garages or the like buildings.

and for those screens which are employed near the entrances of aircraft sheds to shield the aircraft housed in such sheds from wind pressure when leaving or returning to their moorings. 7

Experience has shown "that the folding screens, partitions and doors now in use have thedisadvantage for outside'purposes that they buckle under wind pressure, while the height that it has been possible to make such' doors without sagging has been very limited. On the other hand for aircraft sheds and for other out-door purposes doors or screens of the folding type have many advantages in use over ordinary doors owing to the possibility of building doors of great widths or spans which will fold into small areas when not extended.

Our invention is designed to provide a folding door, screen or partition for outside purposes of any width or height which will resist all ordinary wind pressures and tendency to sag.

According to our invention we make the folding door, screen or partition of such a length as to be longer than the doorway or frame in which it is fitted, thus when in the extended position the units forming the door do not come into line but take up such a position that alternate units are inclined in opposite directions to the general plane of the whole door or screen. Experience has shown that a folding door or screen in this position will resist'all ordinary wind pressures and any tendency to sag even in doors or screens of a great height;

Uur invention is illustrated by way of exdrawings ample applied to a folding partition, door or screen of the type in which folding pairs of leaves are hinged to sliding uprights, but it must be understood that the present invention is equally applicable to centre hung and to other types of end hung partitions or doors now in general use.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 shows an isometric view of a port1on of a door in the extended position;

Figure 2 shows a side view of a door sectron extended and the stays for holding said door in the extended position;

Figure 3 shows a plan view of Figure 2;

Figure 4 shows the door section shown in Figure 2 partially folded and illustrating the movement of the connected stays.

Figure 5 shows a plan View of Flgure 4.

Figure 6 shows a detail View of the centre pivoting ofa stay and a stop link.

. Referrln now to Figures 1 and 2 of the he folding door, screen or partition is built up of a series of leaves 1 which may be hinged to uprights 2 as shown sliding 1n top and bottomrunners 3. The guidmg means is only illustrated by way of example and forms no part ofthe present invention. The door or the like is of such a length as to be lon er than the-doorway or frame in which it s fitted. Thus when in the extended position the units or leaves forming the door do not. come into line but take up such a position that alternate units are inclined in opposite directions to the general plane of the whole door or screen as shown in Figure 1. Such a door will resist all ordinary Wind pressure and any tendency to sag even in doors or screens of a great height. It is usual to construct the whole door or screen which is generally of great length in two or more door sections.

In order that the units for-min the doors may be held in the desired position when extended instead of coming into line, such doors are provided with stays comprising bars 4 which are hinged together and arranged between each pair of uprights 2, the stay lines extending throughout each section of the door. When the door units are extended into the desired position, the stay bars are brought into alignment and thereby add materially to the rigidity of the door.

A convenient staying arrangement is shown by way of example in Figures 2, 3,

4 and 5. In the construction shown in these figures upper and lower lines of stays are connected together by the links 5. The Oblject of these connecting links is to maintain the stay, lines in a. parallel position and thus to assist the parallel movement of the stay lines and sliding uprights during the operation of folding or extending the door section. The stays 4 are pivoted to their uprights at 6' and adjacent stay ends are hinged at 7 allowing the stay sections to fold as shown in Figures 4 and 5 during the process of foldin the door section. It must be understood, however, that we are not limited to the above arrangement of stays, a single stay line may be sufficient for the purpose in view in some cases. Alternatively with very high doors or screens it may be necessary to employ more than two stay lines which may or may not be provided with connecting links at suitable intervals.

In Figure 6 we show by way of example a detail view of a stay built up of pairs of parallel iron lates 8 alternating with single plates 28. W hen the stay lines are not connected by links 5, double plates 8 are preferably used throughout. The extensions 9 shown in Figure 6 are provided at the extremities of the plates 8 with stop links 10 adapted to limit the upward movement of their stays at the end of a stay line and thus hold the last unit of the door extended-until these stays are thrown over their centres.

The object of this arrangement is to counteract any tendency to tilt durin the operations of folding or extendingt e door section. If desired we may fit stop links on each alternate stay or at intervals along a stay line.

What we claim is:

1. A sliding and folding door, screen or partition comprising a frame, a plurality of movable uprights carried by said frame, hinged pairs of leaves adapted to fold upon each other and hinged to and supported by said uprights, stayscomprisin bar members hinged together andarrange between and attached to each pair of uprights and adapttaraeco partition comprising a frame, a plurality of movable uprights carried by said frame, hinged pairs of leaves adapted to fold upon each other and hinged to. and supported by said uprights, upper and lower stays each comprlsing bar members hinged together and arranged between and attached to each pair ofuprights and adapted, when extended into alignment, to hold the pairs of leaves between each pair of uprights inclined in opposite directions to the general plane of the door, the upper and lower lines of stays extending throughout the door section and links connecting said lines of stays adapted to assist the parallel movements of the uprights and the corresponding stays in the upper and lower lines of stays during the operation of folding or extending the door section.

3. A sliding and folding door, screen or partition comprising a frame, a plurality of movable uprights carried by said frame, hinged pairs of leaves adapted to fold upon each other and hinged to and sup-ported by said uprights, stays comprising bar members hinged together and arranged between and attached to each pair of uprights and adapted, when extended into alinement, to hold the pairs of leaves between each pair of uprights inclined in opposite directions to the general plane of the door, the stayline extending throughout the door section and a plurality of stays in said line of stays provided with stop links adapted to limit the upward movement of their stays and to hold that unitof the door extended until the stays of said unit are thrown over their centres.

In testimony whereof we sign our names to this specification.

HERBERT WUOLAIRID. H} JUll-llll HENRY FREDERKCK LGIDGE. 

